Resetting Surface Pro 4

[rsutcliffe]

So after living with the freezes, the audio pops and issues waking from sleep mode I finally got cheesed off because location services weren't working and Cortana wouldn't recognise the microphone. Resetting now, but seems like it's stuck at 6%. It's been at this point for nearly an hour.

I know others on here have implied they've got more than 8 hours battery life, but even with the screen dimmed to 25% the Surface only lasted around 3 hours tonight before I had enough.

I really love the Surface when it works, but it has too many issues and I'm seriously considering taking it back for a refund - a laptop that costs nearly a grand with type cover shouldn't be this borked.

Microsoft should have seriously fixed all these issues before launch. They've really put me off to the point where I'm tempted to go and look at the iPad Pro instead.

 

[leeshor]

If you have a microSD card installed that would/could cause your problem with the reset.

 

[rsutcliffe]

Thanks leeshor - will try again without it installed

 

[nuttyone]

I would stick with the 6%. I remember updating the November Win10 update and it took almost 4 hours in total! (and that was after the download). There is a small chance you do have a HDD defect or something if you're unlucky, but by the sounds of it all your issues are mostly software related or you have a microSD card installed, or external USB drives attached.

With regard to keeping/returning it, if you were to go for an iPad Pro then I would question why you got the SP4 in the first place, they are completely different devices. I think in all, the Surface is able to do more, and is a true laptop/PC replacement, but with the thinness and portability comes more reliability and unforeseen issues. As lots of people have said, Skylake is still very very new.

 

[rsutcliffe]

nuttyone - I went for the Surface because I really wanted a tablet I could use to draw with. The normal iPad is useless for drawing as fingers get in the way and don't allow for any granularity or finesse. It's also the very first laptop I've ever purchased for myself. You're right in inferring the iPad and it's apps are limited when compared to the full Windows OS on the Surface, but my experience with iOS devices is that they rally do just work. I don't want an iPad. If the Surface worked even 99% it would be ideal for my purposes. Right now it's just frustrating.

 

[mva5580]

I certainly understand the frustrations as I experience some myself, but in the end I guess you're either willing to put up with the frustrations for more functionality, or you bring it back and get something like an iPad Pro that will be less buggy, but also less functional.

There's no "wrong" choice. Whichever one makes more sense to you.

 

[hughlle]

Mine got stuck at 7%. I left it to it's own things and it eventually just told me that there was an error resetting, and from then on out i just got a continuous boot loop.

 

[nuttyone]

rsutcliffe - I feel your pain as I have experienced some similar issues with stability etc. I love my iPhone because its simple and does what it does very very well. If you wanted a device for design/drawing I probably would go for the iPad pro, as with the iPad, give it 6 months to a year and there will be a lot more advanced apps which bring it more in line with a full OS.

I use my Surface as a laptop and desktop replacement. It is very interesting at Apple is taking its mobile OS and putting on larger devices, while MS are taking their OS and putting on smaller devices.

 

[GreyFox7]

Um, the iPad Pro is having some issues too...
http://www.zdnet.com/article/dead-after-recharge-apple-investigates-ipad-pro-woes/

 

[rsutcliffe]

Ended up doing a full recovery on the Surface and it feels much more stable with no crashes yet, and woke up without the need for a power+volume press. Was a pain to have to reset everything else up, and the Office trial no longer works (despite the trial supposedly having 20+ days left), but small price to pay if it all works.

 

[Zkyevolved]

I chatted yesterday with the Surface team yesterday and they really messed up my SP4. Before this I was having the occasional black screen, but standby battery life was HORRIBLE. I mean, 5% in 10 minutes! So I chatted with them and they told me that it could be a defective unit, but 70% of the cases they found were software related. Anyways, they took control of my device and did their magic and screwed it up completely to the point where i couldn't even open the Windows Store.

Anyways, so I decided to download the image from Microsoft's website and I formatted the USB drive in Fat32 and then copied the files over, as per their instructions. It's now stuck at 7%.

When I installed the TH2 update it took well over an hour, and my SP2 did it in 15-20 minutes.

Anyways, I'm starting to think that this device is defective. I did have a MicroSD card installed. Mid "resetting this PC 7%" I took it out, I don't know if it'll change. I don't know if I should shut it down and try again!

My device is the i5 version with 4gb ram.

 

[Zkyevolved]

Well, this is taking forever! It's been over an hour and a half, and it's at 54% resetting this PC. I think I'm going to send it back... God... This CANNOT be normal!